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| DJANGO REINHARDT - Swing (1939) |
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Jean-Baptiste "Django" Reinhardt (January 23,
1910 -- May 16, 1953) was a Belgian Sinto
Gypsy jazz guitarist. He was one of the first
prominent jazz musicians to be born in
Europe, and one of the most renowned jazz
guitarists of all time. His most renowned
works include "My Sweet", "Minor Swing",
"Tears", "Belleville", "Djangology" and
"Nuages".
Reinhardt spent most of his
youth in gypsy encampments close to Paris,
playing banjo, guitar and violin from an
early age professionally at Bal-musette halls
in Paris. He started first on the violin and
eventually moved on to a banjo-guitar that
had been given to him and his first known
recordings (in 1928) were of him playing the
banjo.At the age of 18 Reinhardt was injured
in a fire that ravaged the caravan he shared
with Bella, his first wife. They were very
poor, and to supplement their income Bella
made imitation flowers out of celluloid and
paper. Consequently, their home was full of
this highly flammable material. Returning
from a performance late one night, Django
apparently knocked over a candle on his way
to bed. While his family and neighbors were
quick to pull him to safety, he received
first- and second-degree burns over half his
body. His right leg was paralyzed and the
third and fourth fingers of his left hand
were badly burnt. Doctors believed that he
would never play guitar again and intended to
amputate one of his legs. Reinhardt refused
to have the surgery and left the hospital
after a short time; he was able to walk
within a year with the aid of a cane.
In 1934, Louis Vola formed the
"Quintette du Hot Club de France" with
Reinhardt, violinist Stéphane Grappelli,
Reinhardt's brother Joseph and Roger Chaput
on guitar, and himself on bass.The concept of
"lead guitar" (Django) and backing "rhythm
guitar" (Joseph Reinhardt/Roger Chaput or
Pierre Ferret) was born with that band.
When World War II broke out, the
original quintet was on tour in the United
Kingdom. Reinhardt returned to
Paris.Reinhardt survived World War II
unscathed, unlike the many Gypsies who
perished in the porajmos, the Nazi regime's
systematic murder of several hundred thousand
European Gypsies, quite a few of whom were
sent to death camps. He was especially
fortunate because the Nazi regime did not
allow jazz to be performed and recorded. He
apparently enjoyed the protection of the
Luftwaffe officer Dietrich Schulz-Köhn,
nicknamed "Doktor Jazz", who deeply admired
his music.
Many musicians have expressed
admiration for Reinhardt , including
guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, classical
guitarist Julian Bream; country artist Chet
Atkins, who placed Reinhardt #1 on a list of
the ten most influential guitarists of the
20th century ; Latin rocker Carlos Santana;
blues legend B.B. King; the Grateful Dead's
Jerry Garcia; Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi;
Jimi Hendrix; Synyster Gates; Shawn Lane;
Stevie Ray Vaughan; Derek Trucks; Mark
Knopfler; Les Paul; Joe Pass; Peter Frampton;
Denny Laine; Jeff Beck; Jon Larsen; Steve
Howe; Charlie Christian and George Benson.
Jimi Hendrix is said to have named
one of his bands the Band of Gypsys because
of Django's music. The Allman Brothers Band
song "Jessica" was written by Dickey Betts in
tribute to Reinhardt — he wanted to write a
song that could be played using only two
fingers. This aspect of the artist's work
also motivated Black Sabbath guitarist Tony
Iommi, who was inspired by Reinhardt to keep
playing guitar after a factory accident that
cost him two fingertips.
Tags : Swing jazz 1939.gypsy |
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Affichage : 71755
Durée : 140 s |
| The Women - Witty Moments (1939) |
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The best of the best
The Women
1939
MGM
Mostly Rosalind Russell and Paulette Goddard
I had to put the line when Joan Fontaine says
"I'm going to have a baby" because I laugh
everytime she says it.
This movie is fabulous because everytime you
watch it you catch new things. I've watched
it about 20 times and I still catch new lines
that are kind of thrown away but are really
funny.
Melodramatic to the max!
Are you ready for the 2008 remake?
Tags : Joan Fontaine The Women 1939 Rosalind Russell Norma Shearer Crawford MGM Mary Boland Paulette Goddard |
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Affichage : 19832
Durée : 425 s |
| Hoagy Carmichael and Jack Teagarden (1939) |
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Still relatively new to movies ("Topper" was
in '37; "To Have and Have Not" wouldn't be
filmed till '44), Hoagy is slightly
uncomfortable but game here, as he introduces
Jack Teagarden's first big band (trumpeter
Charlie Spivak solos on "Stardust"; future
Glenn Miller reedman Ernie Caceres is also
present). The short features several of
Hoagy's best known songs, sung by Hoagy, Big
Tea or Meredith Blake, one of the better but
underrated big band "girl singers."
Tags : Hoagy_Carmichael Jack_Teagarden |
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Affichage : 44091
Durée : 604 s |
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